Come Morning Light
by chariots99
Summary: Run. Don't stop. Don't look back. Or the past will catch up and destroy you. Hunger Games fusion fic


**Title** – Come Morning Light

**Summary – **The Hunger Games took their toll on the victors in more ways than one. Many went mad, unable to tell the past from the present, and too caught up in those terrifying flashbacks to care about the future. They would never forget; they _could_ never forget. May the odds be ever in your favour...

**Warnings** – Hunger Games fusion fic, character deaths.

**Disclaimer** – Don't own.

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**Come Morning Light **

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_Blaine looked up when Kurt stepped into the room to say his final farewells._

'_Don't,' Blaine whispered, forestalling Kurt. 'You couldn't have done anything.' There was a small part of his mind that was horribly jealous of his boyfriend, who actually had a future. Disgusted with himself, he quickly forced iron bars over that traitorous voice. No, he would not wish this upon anyone, not even his worst enemy._

_Kurt took Blaine's face in his hands._

'_Run. Don't stop. Don't look back,' he whispered._

'_Okay,' Blaine nodded, pressing their foreheads together as silent tears streamed down their faces. 'Okay.'_

_._

_Run._

_Don't stop._

_Don't look back._

_._

Those words pounded inside Blaine's mind, his never ending mantra as he tore through the dark forest, leaping over fallen trees, ducking under low-hanging branches, his backpack bouncing against his back with every movement.

Sweat was pouring down his face, hard and fast and _God_ he was going to be sodehydrated after this.

But still, he didn't stop. He never stopped. Not once.

_._

_Run._

_._

_The bloodbath was absolutely brutal. One of the worst Blaine's ever seen._

_Unfortunately, this year, he was stuck right in the midst of things._

_One of the Careers – Rachel – advanced with a menacing glint in her eyes, armed with an already bloodied axe. Blaine threw himself out of the way, and the swing that had been aimed for his neck instead sliced through the arm of the tribute who had been unfortunately standing behind him. _

_Quickly, Blaine pushed himself back up to his feet while Rachel turned her sights on the now amputated tribute. Seizing the chance, while everyone else was preoccupied with either killing or being killed, Blaine grabbed one of the fuller looking backpacks and a small dagger, and ran._

_._

_Don't stop._

_._

An unexpected tree root snagged itself around Blaine's ankle; he went flying through the air, the dagger glinting in the sunlight, before landing flat on his face in a bed of fallen leaves. Groaning, Blaine turned onto his back, the sun shining right into his eyes.

He lay in a small clearing in the forest. Everything was so peaceful. So quiet.

It was all a lie.

_._

_Don't look back._

_._

'_BLAINE!'_

_Blaine sat up with a gasp, leaves falling off his body as he scrambled to his feet. Somehow, stupidly, he'd let his guard down and fallen asleep in the clearing. And now, from the sounds of things, more than one person was headed his way in a hurry._

_There was nowhere to hide in the damn clearing. Shrugging off his backpack, he drew his dagger and waited. It wasn't long before the first of the group broke through into the clearing, panting and wheezing and unarmed. _

_Brittany, his fellow tribute._

_She had been the one to scream his name._

_Upon seeing him, her eyes lit up in relief. His did too, until he spotted the group of Careers that had been hot on her tail. Azimio was in the lead, flanked by Karofsky and Sebastian and Santana, with Rachel and a pregnant Quinn bringing up the rear. Azimio raised his arm, twirling a mace over his head. Before Blaine could do anything, that mace went whistling through the air._

_Brittany collapsed with a burst of blood that splattered all over Blaine's face. In shock, he dropped the dagger that had been in his hand and clawed at the blood. It was still hot with the promise of life, still bright red with memories of the past. Through his panic, he could hear the jeering laughter of the Careers, who advanced upon him even as the canon went off with a bang. _

_Without thinking, he kicked up a spray of leaves at the Careers, all of whom ducked, having been expecting something more sinister. He grabbed his dagger and his backpack and, with one last glance at the fallen girl, turned head and sprinted back into the trees._

_._

_Run._

_._

Tears obscured his view as he stumbled through the forest, fresh and hot upon his cheeks just like the blood.

He was so disgusted with himself.

And with that disgust came a deep, burning hatred.

He was a coward. He'd left her body for the Careers. He hadn't even tried to protect her, too worried about his own worthless life.

He didn't deserve it.

And so he ran. Further and deeper than anyone had ever gone. He ran as if he could outrun his past.

He ran as if they could catch up.

_._

_Don't stop._

_._

_The cannon sounded unexpectedly, throwing him off._

_He could hear rustling in the trees up ahead. His heart sank when he realised that he Careers had split up. And sure enough, three of them stepped out of the shadows, forming a clear circle around him, trapping him within their midst. But they underestimated one thing; his will. He had just failed Brittany._

_He would not fail her this time._

_For all that he looked weak and flimsy compared to the Careers, Blaine was fast. Before any of the Careers had so much as blinked, he'd sent his dagger spinning, deadly accurate. The cannon went off, coinciding with his sudden nausea at his first kill. But he pushed it down. Karofsky had yet to even fully collapse onto the ground when Blaine was moving, sprinting towards the startled Rachel. Unarmed, he whacked her around the head with his backpack, before grabbing the axe from the dazed girl's hands and using the blunt end to knock her out._

_By this point, Santana, the remaining Career, had recovered from her surprise. She hefted her spear up, even as Blaine was turning away. But before she could throw it, she was cut down from behind._

_Blaine spun as the newest player on the field swung his sword back with a flourish. _

_For an age, they contemplated each other, before the sword was stuck into the ground as a gesture of friendship._

'_I'm Sebastian.'_

_An uncertain pause. 'Blaine.'_

_Nodding, Sebastian said: 'We'd live longer if there were two of us.'_

'_I owe you nothing,' Blaine said, suspicious. _You're a Career!

'_Azimio killed Quinn for "slowing us down",' said Sebastian, naming the eighteen year old tribute from his district. 'I want revenge.'_

'_Why?'_

_Sebastian narrowed his eyes. 'She was about to marry my best friend. I promised him I'd look after her, keep her safe. He was going to be a father. _I_ was going to be an uncle.'_

_Blaine's breath caught in his throat. 'I'm sorry.'_

'_So am I,' said Sebastian, a dark look passing over his eyes. 'I'm going to find that bastard and rip him to shreds. And see how he likes it when I shove a branch through his chest.'_

_._

_Don't look back._

_._

The trees were silent now.

Blaine paused to catch a breath, and gazed up at them suspiciously. They were still.

Too still.

A sudden, distant birdcall was all that was needed; Blaine took off once more, practically flying through the forest, the trees whizzing past him in a blur.

The strap of his backpack was cutting into his shoulder, his dagger lost and irretrievable. Blaine was too far gone to stop, too caught up in his own madness for reality to make even the smallest dent.

_._

_Run._

_._

'_So, you got anyone back home?'_

_Blaine looked up, startled at the question. 'What do you mean?'_

'_Girlfriend,' said Sebastian, cooking their catch. Upon Blaine's reaction though, he quickly changed the word. 'Boyfriend?'_

_Smiling slightly, Blaine nodded. 'Yeah, there's someone.'_

'_Who?'_

'_He was my best friend,' Blaine smiled. 'And then, he asked me to be his boyfriend.'_

'_He'll be there when you get home,' said Sebastian._

_Blaine frowned at that. 'What, you're not planning on going home?'_

'_I've got nothing waiting there.'_

'_How about your best friend? He's already lost his fiancée.'_

_Laughing, Sebastian tossed Blaine the cooked meat. 'He has other friends; better friends. The most I can do for him now is to kill the bastard that took Quinn's life.'_

_Blaine gazed at Sebastian shrewdly, but didn't push him any further. They both dug into their dinner in silence._

_._

_Don't stop._

_._

'BLAINE!'

The scream had Blaine quickly changing course, headed for the thick jumble of bushes that would provide some shelter, a place to hide.

Hearing the footsteps crunching over leaves, getting closer and closer, Blaine dropped, skidded and rolled beneath the bushes, before lying as still as was possible, his heart pounding madly in his mouth.

Soon enough, a pair of shoes appeared in his limited range of view. Blaine's breath caught in his throat.

_Those are Kurt's shoes!_

Anger, pure throbbing anger began to bubble within him at the thought of the Gamemakers impersonating the one person he'd admitted to caring about. He forced himself to stay still, to stay hidden; it could be anyone wearing those shoes, and he was not armed at all.

Soon enough, the shoes left his view as the impersonator hurried off.

The moment he could no longer hear the sounds of crunching footsteps, Blaine threw himself out of his hiding spot and began to sprint in the opposite direction.

He had to escape.

He had to get away.

_._

_Don't look back._

_._

_There were only five left in the game. From the sounds of things, Azimio and Rachel had recruited Harmony, an unusually bloodthirsty district 10 tribute, to boost their diminishing pack, and the three had done their jobs, and done it well._

_Unfortunately for Blaine and Sebastian, the two were the last two non-Career tributes left in the Arena (excluding the newly inducted Harmony). They had a huge price on their head; the Careers were hunting them down with deadly swiftness, closing in with every step._

'_We're not going to lose them,' rasped Sebastian, trying desperately to muffle his coughing._

_Though Blaine had lost his dagger, Sebastian turned out to have quite the haul of weapons. A sword, a staff with a very sharp point that Sebastian had fashioned for them after dinner last night, and three throwing knives. The knives Sebastian had almost immediately handed over to Blaine. The only problem with the knives was that they were out of balance; he had to aim to the left if he wanted the knife to hit a bullseye._

'_Do you think we can take them?' Blaine asked, bouncing one of the knives in his hand and frowning at its off-centre weight._

'_Maybe if we catch them by surprise,' the other boy wheezed._

_Blaine stared at him, frowning. 'Hey ... are you alright?'_

'_Just dandy.'_

'_You can't breathe.'_

'_Really? Whatever gave you that idea?' if it weren't for the gasping, the sarcasm might've actually been effective. 'Come on, we need to get moving.'_

'_No.'_

_Sebastian turned, staring at Blaine in surprise. 'No?'_

'_You can barely get enough air into your lungs; how are you planning on outrunning the Careers?' Blaine demanded. 'No, we're staying right here. Maybe set a few traps. You catch your breath; when the Careers come, we'll take them out with the only advantage we have.'_

'_And that is...?'_

'_Height.' Blaine gestured up at the trees. 'I have three knives – that might take out one of them, and injure another. They won't fight without the advantage of numbers.'_

_Sebastian stared at him for some time, before breaking out into a grin. 'Okay Killer. I trust you.' _I trust you not to get me killed.

'_Let's get to work.'_

_They were ready. Blaine had his legs wrapped securely on one of the topmost branches of the tree. Coming from district 7, lumber, he all but grew up amongst the trees. Sebastian was another story; in the end, Blaine just ordered him to go a little further away so that, even if he was lower down, he wouldn't be spotted._

_The Careers came upon them with a vengeance, shouting and swearing and waving their weapons around. The crossbow-armed Harmony spotted him first; with a triumphant yell, she raised the alarm. But Blaine got off the first shot, careful to aim more to the left, and suddenly Harmony dropped dead, his knife sticking out of her throat, the skies echoing with the bang of the cannon._

_At Azimio's orders, Rachel grabbed the crossbow out of Harmony's fingers and swung it up. At the same moment, Blaine took aim once more. They both attacked at the same time._

_The knife took a massive chunk out of Rachel's thigh. The arrow flew right through Blaine's side, literally shooting him out of the tree._

_Flailing around desperately, he managed to snag a weak hold on a branch to stop himself falling to his death. But Azimio was closing in, and the sharp pains in his chest were not doing anything to help. Even as he tried to haul himself up, he could feel the warm blood, _his_ warm blood, pouring out from where the arrow was still lodged in his side._

_And then, out of nowhere, came Sebastian._

_With a roar that caused Azimio to jump back in shock, he slashed down with his sword. Blaine took the chance to steady himself before dropping onto the ground and taking out his last knife. It was out of sheer willpower that he forced himself to remain on his feet, rather than to collapse and let the pain take him away._

_A minute later, it was over. Azimio, upon being outnumbered two-to-one, had turned and fled, leaving behind the profusely bleeding Rachel to fend for herself. Sebastian turned to Blaine, ripping apart his shirt as he went and wrapping it around the wound. They both tried to ignore the heavy thud as the girl collapsed behind them. They both tried to block out the loud boom of the cannon._

_._

_Run._

_._

The pain in Blaine's side never left. And now, it flared once more, pulling Blaine sharply out of his mad run.

Gasping, his hand flew to the wound, throbbing and much too warm.

_I have to rest_.

He couldn't go on, not like this. Not injured, friendless, lost and alone in the unfamiliar woods.

'BLAINE!'

And suddenly, adrenaline kicks in and he takes off once more, wide eyed and terrified, his heart pounding in his throat.

_I won't let them get me. Not again._

_._

_Don't stop._

_._

_The announcement for the feast had been made. For Blaine and Sebastian, that meant only one thing. _

_The finale had arrived._

'_Looks like they want to end it quickly,' Blaine had said upon hearing the announcement, clutching at his side. Despite the shredded shirt they were using as bandages, he'd yet to stop bleeding. That was the point of the feast though – he needed to be treated, and the Capitol were providing the medicine._

_But there was more._

_Sebastian had gotten worse. First it was the wheezing and the gasping after they ran from the Careers. But with a little rest, he recovered his breath. Now ... now the wheezing was continuous. And he had started coughing. More than once, Blaine caught him forcing in deep breaths. He knew Sebastian wasn't getting enough air in, that his airways were narrowing. The only thing he could do was to insist they rest often, and hope for the best. _

_Which was why, when the feast had been announced, they both knew they had to go. Because not only would there be medicine to stop Blaine bleeding, there would be medicine to help Sebastian breathe. To prevent him from dying a horrible, drawn out death._

'_I can walk, you know,' Blaine said, for want of something to say._

'_I know.'_

_But they both knew he couldn't. Not well. Not fast enough. And certainly not without a lot of pain, thanks to his wound. And so, Blaine put up with being slung over Sebastian's shoulder like a sack of flour, praying that his added weight would not be enough to push Sebastian over the edge._

_Their arrival at the Cornucopia was not a heralded affair. Indeed, with Azimio already there and waiting, it seemed more like the introduction to their deaths than anything. _

_Because Azimio's pack had contained food, food that he'd quickly gobbled up. And now, with neither Sebastian nor Blaine able to reach their packs ... well, Blaine was just praying for the end to be quick. For it to be over soon._

_Sebastian dumped Blaine unceremoniously on the ground, before drawing his sword. Almost immediately, Blaine could see that Sebastian was worse. Much worse. He was pale, shaking, and definitely not holding that weapon like he used to. And when Azimio lunged for him, Sebastian only barely managed to stagger aside._

_Desperately, as Sebastian engaged Azimio in a duel that he'd already lost, Blaine hauled himself to his feet, leaning heavily on the staff Sebastian dropped beside him, gritting his teeth to prevent himself from screaming in pain. He was sure he'd just ripped his wound even further apart. Trembling fingers scaled his belt, trying to get a grasp on his remaining knife, all the while feeling himself sinking further and further into the ground._

_He cursed Sebastian then, under his breath; what had the boy been thinking when he'd made a staff with a _sharp_ point?_

_Finally, his frantic fingers close around a familiar hilt, and not a moment too soon; Sebastian's actions have become even weaker, and even without his desperate gasping and heaving, Blaine knew that the boy's body had lost its battle. That his airways had sealed shut. That he was no longer able to breathe._

_Azimio grinned, an awful, bloodthirsty grin. He raised his weapon, seemingly intent on drawing out Sebastian's pain by slowly amputating his limbs. Sebastian's sword went tumbling to the ground when he failed to protect himself. Azimio swung down, aiming for Sebastian's elbow with a smirk. And in that desperate moment, Blaine made one terrible, terrible mistake._

_He forgot that the knife he held was not properly balanced. _

_He forgot to aim more to the left, in order for the deadly weapon to fly straight._

_And he only remembered, only realised his mistake, when Sebastian dropped to the ground, instantly killed by the knife that had just flown into his eye and lodged itself in his brain._

_Azimio's weapon swished through the air where Sebastian's limb had been a second ago. For a moment, he paused, confused, before he slowly turned to face the extremely horrified Blaine._

'_Nice job Anderson,' he laughed. 'Didn't know you had it in you. I won't begrudge you the kill, though I really should considering Smythe here was a traitor. At least this kid didn't beg and cry like that pregnant wench. Guess it's just you and me now –'_

_He was abruptly cut off. They both shifted their previously locked gazes down, to see the wooden staff Sebastian had fashioned sticking out from Azimio's chest. _

'_That's for Brittany,' Blaine said, with as much poison as he could manage in his injured and starved state. 'That's for Brittany, and Quinn. And Sebastian.'_

_With that, Azimio dropped to the ground, dead._

_._

_Don't look back._

.

Blaine collapsed, exhaustion taking its toll on his body. Try as he might, he couldn't get back up again. His shaking limbs would not respond.

_Brittany._

_Quinn._

_... Sebastian._

Somehow, he found the energy to roll over as his stomach churned. A moment later, he was throwing up. Long after he'd emptied his stomach, his body was still wracked with dry heaves that would not stop.

'BLAINE! Bl – Blaine! Oh, Blaine...'

Cool hands rested on his forehead, pulling him away from the puddle of vomit. And now, now that he'd been finally released from the strangling bonds of his terrifying flashback, he recognised the voice that was calling his name. That had been calling his name all along.

'Kurt?'

His voice was hoarse, from the vomit, from the screaming. It cracked on that one little word.

But it was alright; everything was alright now. Because Kurt was here, Kurt was holding him. Sweet, caring Kurt, who had been the only one to ever come after him, to search him out when he was caught within his flashbacks. As long as Kurt was here, he was safe. As long as Kurt was here, he was home.

Finally, he allowed himself to break.

And Kurt just held him while he sobbed.

_._

_Run._

_Don't stop._

_Don't look back._

_Or the past will catch up and destroy you._

_._

_Well ... that was significantly darker than anything I've ever written in my life..._

_I wonder if I could write a full-blown Hunger Games fic ... hm..._

_**Please REVIEW!**__ Love Chariots99_


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